Tell me about sodium

[Scottyboy]

Hey all -

I was talking to a trainer friend of mine the other day and he mentioned that for as lean as I am my abs should really be a lot more visible. We went over the basics trying to figure out why this might be and eventually we got to sodium. He asked how much I ate per day and I told him I had no idea. He asked me to start recording it and I found that I generelly eat between 5,000 and 8,000 milligrams per day, which seems to be way too much as the recommended amount is just over 2,000 milligrams. I was wondering how much sodium I would have to cut out of my diet to lost a significant amount of water weight and also if anyone can recommend some good low sodium foods? The only thing I can find that has less than 500 milligrams are my protein shakes. Thanks.

[djreef]

Low sodium foods would be anything raw and unprocessed, with the exception of some seafoods. Eat more raw veggies and fruits.

DJ

[sCaRz*Of*PaiN]

^^

Yeah. Natural and unprocessed foods will be the best choice. Anything that's processed or flavored with seasoning at the store will have quite a bit of sodium.

[RedSpikeyThing]

I don't think controlling sodium intake is necessary for most people to have visible abs. What is your bf%?

[Scottyboy]

I don't think controlling sodium intake is necessary for most people to have visible abs. What is your bf%?

I have a thread in the picture forum, people guessed me anywhere from 9-14%, although most said 10-12%. However a lot of people mentioned that I looked like I had some excess water weight and doesn't sodium cause you to retain water? Especially consuming like 6,000 or more milligrams a day?